You're killin' me, Smalls!

If I was before a congressional sports tribunal, I would repeatedly assert that, "I'm not here to talk about the present." This NFL season was over before it warmed up.

However, I am here to talk about the past, the NFL past. In particular, I can't hold my tongue after watching the NFL Network's Top 100 NFL players of all time.

The Top 10:
10. Dick Butkus, LB
9. Don Hutson, WR
8. Peyton Manning, QB
7. Reggie White, DE
6. Johnny Unitas, QB
5. Walter Payton, RB
4. Joe Montana, QB
3. Lawrence Taylor, LB
2. Jim Brown, RB
1. Jerry Rice, WR

Up front, I'm a Cowboys fan, but I found the list to be rather biased in an anti-Cowboys fashion.

The top Cowboy? Bob Lilly at #26. Emmitt Smith at #28.

Jerry Rice at #1?! Really? I'm not gonna argue that Emmitt should be in the top 10, but I will argue that if Rice is #1, then clearly Emmitt should be in the top 10.

Rice: Most receiving records ... over 18 years. Not a big surprise there. Emmit: Most rushing records ... over 14 years.

Rice & Emmitt ... both 3 Superbowl rings and both one Superbowl MVP. Emmitt: 1 NFL MVP. Rice: Zero. (Manning 4, and many others 3)

Yeah, but Emmitt had that great line! But, didn't Rice have some pretty decent QBs (namely, Hall of Famers Montana & Young)?

I'm not saying Emmitt should be #1, but #28? It seems to me that the criteria used to elevate Rice would naturally secure a high ranking for Emmitt, but clearly that wasn't the case.

Much of the top 10 didn't bother me, but that seemed a strange #1. Jim Brown would be my #1.

Anyone else feelin' me on Rice at #1?

FYI: Cowboys in the Top 100:
#26 Bob Lilly
#28 Emmitt Smith
#46 Roger Staubach
#62 Randy White
#77 Tony Dorsett
#80 Troy Aikman
#92 Michael Irvin
#95 Larry Allen